U.S. stock futures are slightly higher Wednesday morning after Tuesday's rally. Oil futures dropped to $104.82 a barrel. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 27 points to 12,226.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index gained 2.40 points to 1,322.50. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1 point to 2,334.75.

U.S. stocks closed higher, with the blue-chip Dow index surging 1.03% to close at $12,214.38 on Tuesday.

Data on wholesale inventories for January will be released at 10 a.m. ET.

Shares of Nokia (NOK) gained about 1.3% in pre-market trading after analysts at Bernstein upgraded the mobile-phone giant from underperform to market perform late Tuesday.

Diamond Foods (DMND) reported its Q2 earnings at $19.7 million, or 87 cents per share, up from $8.8 million, or 52 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. Excluding one-time items, Diamond's earnings came in at 91 cents per share. The company's revenue increased 40% to $257.6 million. However, analysts had been expecting adjusted earnings of 89 cents per share on revenue of $265.1 million. Diamond lifted its full-year earnings guidance to $2.45 to $2.51 per share, excluding on-time items, from $2.43 to $2.49 per share. However, analysts were projecting full-year earnings of $2.51 per share.

Navistar International (NAV) reported its Q1 EPS, ex-items, at 16 cents, versus the consensus of 23 cents. NAV reported its Q1 revenue at $2.74 billion, versus the consensus of $2.9 billion.

Analyst Upgrades

• Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Trinity Industries (TRN) to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Cameron (CAM) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Expedia (EXPE) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Micron (MU) to buy from hold at Lazard Capital.

Analyst Upgrades

• Best Buy (BBY) was upgraded to top pick from outperform at RBC Capital, as the firm thinks the company's valuation is inexpensive while it will perform well during the holiday season.
• Credit Suisse upgraded CF Industries (CF) to outperform from neutral, citing favorable fundamentals in nitrogen and phosphate markets.
• Canadian Solar (CSIQ) was raised to buy from hold by Jefferies, which cited expectations for higher selling prices next year and cost savings from sourcing more components internally.
• BMO Capital upgraded RC2 Corp. (RCRC) to outperform from market perform as the firm believes that RC2's baby products are performing better than previously expected.
• Ericsson (ERIC) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merril.
• ProLogis (PLD) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Constellation Energy (CEG) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.

If you are looking for clues telling you which stocks have a good chance of increasing in value, you might want consider watching where insiders are putting their money. After all, talk is cheap, but when insiders put their own money on the line, you should sit up and take note.

Biglari Holdings Inc. (BH) -- parent company of Steak 'n Shake -- topped the insider-buying charts for the week ending June 25 as insiders snapped up 27,834 shares of company stock at a market value of $8,871,287. During the past six months, insiders have increased their overall holdings in the company by 0.27% and now own 7.81% of BH stock.

Pharmacyclics Inc (PCYC) was not far behind, with insiders buying 1,075,270 shares at a market value of $7,000,008. Insiders now own 26.08% of the company's stock after decreasing their overall holdings by 0.67% during the past six months.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded C.H. Robinson (CHRW) to outperform from neutral and has a $67 target on the stock. The firm upgraded shares citing growth opportunities given the capacity constrained environment.
• UBS upgraded Navistar (NAV) to buy from neutral, citing improved trucker preferences towards the company's engine technology.
• KeyBanc upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from hold based on valuation stabilization and potential upside in aerospace, among other reasons. The firm has a $39 target on the stock.
• United Therapeutics (UTHR) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Equifax (EFX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Stephens.
• Brown & Brown (BRO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
  

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"Virginia Mines (VGQ), a Toronto exchange-listed company, remains my favorite gold exploration play," says resource expert Adrian Day.

In choosing the stock as his top pick for 2010, the editor of The Global Analyst explains, "The company has a successful track record, top management and a super-strong balance."

Even in a holiday shortened week so close to the end of the calendar year, there are still some earnings reports dribbling in. Question is, will any of the companies reporting quarterly results this week offer up a gift for investors?

Apropos of the season, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high expectations for American Greetings Corp.'s (AM) fiscal third quarter 2010 earnings. The nation's second largest provider of greeting cards announced record second quarter results and declared a quarterly dividend during the three months that ended in November. American Greetings is expected to report that earnings rose 43.9% from a year ago to $0.66 per share. Revenue for the quarter is expected to total $445.4 million, or 1.9% lower than a year ago. So far, the full-year forecast is for its profit to more than double to $2.00 per share while revenue falls 5.6% from a year ago to $1.6 billion. This Cleveland-based company creamed earnings estimates in the past two quarters.

Analyst upgrades:

• Collins Stewart upgraded General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) to Buy from Hold as it finds the valuation compelling at current levels and sees potential upside from a better economy and better-than-expected defense budgets.
• SunTrust views the sell-off in shares of Cabot Oil (NYSE: COG) as a buying opportunity and expects the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection order to be resolved quickly. The firm upgraded Cabot to Buy from Neutral.
• Barclays upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Overweight from Equal Weight based on expectations for improved carrier demand, continued U.S. momentum, and an improved Europe.
• Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• Stericycle (NASDAQ: SRCL) was upgraded to Gradually Accumulate from Hold at Soleil.
• Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Talbots (NYSE: TLB) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company's sales and margins are at an inflection point. The firm expects comps to turn positive in the next six months and raised its target on shares to $9.50 from $5.
• JMP Securities believes that Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) incoming iPod product cycle, geographic expansion of iPhones, and market expansion led by new products will result in "significant" outperformance. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Market Perform and has a $200 target on the stock.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Tiffany (NYSE: TIF) to Outperform from Neutral citing productivity comps and gross margin upside, leading to potential upside to 2010 Street estimates. The firm raised its target to $45 from $20.
• Brady (NYSE: BRC) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at KeyBanc.
• Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• American Capital Agency Corp. (NASDAQ: AGNC) earnings prospects earned it an analyst's upgrade.
• Broadpoint Securities Group Inc. (NASDAQ: BPSG) earnings prospects improved with recent acquisitions.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) was upgraded on the belief that its fiscal year outlook is too conservative.
• Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) earnings prospects resulted in an upgrade from JPMorgan.
• Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) Q1 profit and same-store sales fell and it offered a weak outlook.
• Movado Group Inc. (NYSE: MOV) bested Q1 expectations and forecast a considerable profit for the full year.

Shares of the following companies surged after they posted quarterly results on Tuesday.

Watchmaker Movado Group Inc. (NYSE: MOV) reported a smaller-than-expected Q1 loss as cost cutting offset weak sales due to the continued pullback by consumers of discretionary spending. Movado also surprised with a profit forecast for FY 2010. Shares rose 26.4% to close at $10.24.

Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) Q2 earnings and revenue fell short of analysts' estimates as the recession dampened demand for commercial vehicles. Navistar also slashed its forecast for the full year, and said it plans to cut costs by shifting production from Canada to Mexico. Yet shares rose 5.6% to close at $45.46.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) to Conviction Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $90 from $60. Goldman cites ICE's positioning and potential for upward EPS revisions for the upgrade.
  
• Jefferies upgraded FMC Technologies (NYSE: FTI) to Buy from Hold as they believe solid deepwater activity levels will lead to solid EPS results in 2009 and 2010. The firm raised their price target to $45 from $27.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and expects significant improvement in basis differentials for the company's Barnett production starting the second half of Q2. The firm raised their price target to $60 from $50.
• Elan Corp (NYSE: ELN) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Piper Jaffray.
  
• Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) was upgraded at Keefe Bruyette to Outperform from Market Perform.

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company is taking the right steps to turn its operations around. The firm raised its target price to $13 from $11.
  
• Pali upgraded Whole Foods to Buy from Sell following the Q1 report based on better than expected cost containment, labor costs, capex cuts, and plans to rationalize the store base.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to Overweight from Market Weight. The firm believes HPQ's risk/reward has improved given overdue reduced FY09 guidance and attractive valuation.
  
• Bernstein upgraded Talisman (NYSE: TLM) to Outperform from Market Perform based on relative valuation.
• Navistar (NYSE: NAV) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Sovran Self Storage (NYSE: SSS) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
  
• Suncor (NYSE: SU) was upgraded at Barclays to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Apollo Group Inc. (NYSE: APOL) posted its third straight quarter of growth as enrollment soared.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) earnings prospects will pick up after the first quarter, predicts Jim Cramer.
• Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) lowered its guidance due to slower traffic and sales during the holiday season.
• EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) reaffirmed its revenue and earnings guidance and announced job cuts.
• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) was upgraded as Wall Street's Q4 and full-year estimates came down.
• KB Home (NYSE: KBH) failed to narrow its loss as much as expected but beat revenue estimates.
• Logitech International (NASDAQ: LOGI) withdrew its guidance and said it was cutting its global workforce.
• Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) posted strong Q2 results that easily beat earnings expectations (is it a buy?).
• Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) 2009 outlook fell short of estimates but it predicted 2010 growth.
• Premier Exhibitions Inc. (NASDAQ: PRXI) worse-than-expected Q3 numbers resulted in an downgrade.
• Satyam Computer Sciences Ltd. (NYSE: SAY) admited that it had been inflating earnings for years.
• Super Micro Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) was downgraded after preliminary results missed estimates.
• Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) now expects a loss in 2008 rather than the profit in its previous guidance.
• WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ: WDFC) topped Q1 expectations but also lowered its guidance, sending shares lower.

For more earnings highlights, see Intel, Walmart, Chevron, Family Dollar, Monsanto and others

Upcoming earnings releases include Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), Linear Technologies (NASDAQ: LLTC) , Xilinx (NASDAQ: XLNX), Genentech (NYSE: DNA), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Marshall & Ilsley (NYSE: MI), Sealy (NYSE: ZZ), Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) earnings prospects may have encouraged the machinist union to strike.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) Q3 results and weak guidance led shares to a new 52-week low.
• Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) lowered its Q3 earnings guidance below previous and analysts' forecasts.
• Dollar Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: DLLR) beat Q4 estimates and posted record 2008 results.
• Ericsson Telephone Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC) was downgraded because it could miss Q3 earnings expectations.
• Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL) topped Q3 expectations due to robust aerospace and defense markets.
• Joy Global Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG) posted strong Q3 results due to a sharp increase in orders.
• Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) backed away somewhat from its previous 2008 earnings guidance.
• Legg Mason Inc. (NYSE: LM) earnings prospects for the next several quarters led to an analyst downgrade.
• MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) mid quarter update warned of declining demand for chips.
• Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) was upgraded following a strong Q3 report.
• New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) ongoing losses haven't diminished Rupert Murdoch's interest in it.
• Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) warned that it would miss earnings estimates due in part to weak sales.
• Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: SNDA) better-than-expected Q2 led to an analyst upgrade.
• Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) Q2 earnings slipped while revenues rose, beating expectations.
• Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) Q3 results soared but cut its Q4 guidance.
• Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) was upgraded on its prospects for beating expectations.
• Terex Corp. (NYSE: TEX) warned that earnings for Q3 and Q4 would be lower than estimates.
• Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) posted better-than-expected Q2 results and offered full-year guidance.
• Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) reported its fourth straight quarterly loss, but it was smaller than expected.

Also, Jim Cramer discusses a decline in earnings resulting from a collapse of oil and oil services.

Upcoming quarterly reports include Korn/Ferry (NYSE: KFY), Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY), Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD), and Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.